Editing Halo: Shadows of Reach

{{Title|''Halo: Shadows of Reach''}}

{{Status|RealWorld}}

{{Novel infobox

|name=''Halo: Shadows of Reach''

|author=[[Troy Denning]]

|cover artist=Chris McGrath{{Ref/Reuse|announce}}{{Ref/Reuse|SORArt}}

}}

==Official summary==

Their former home and training ground—and the site of [[Fall of Reach|humanity’s most cataclysmic military defeat]] near the end of the [[Human-Covenant War|Covenant War]]—Reach still hides myriad secrets after all these years. Blue Team’s [[Operation: WOLFE|mission]] is to penetrate the rubble-filled depths of [[CASTLE Base]] and recover top-secret assets locked away in [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey’s]] abandoned laboratory—assets which may prove to be humanity’s last hope against Cortana.

{{Spoiler/begin}}

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Back on solid ground, the Spartans aren't given much time to recover before the attacking Seraphs make another pass. Blue Team is forced into a defensive hold while attempting to unload their cargo and crew from the wreckage of the Owl. After briefly gaining control of the situation thanks to Fred's improvisation with the excavation equipment's [[plasma drill]], John notices the sigil of the [[Banished]] on the hull of a downed Seraph, revealing that the ruthless faction of mercenaries had occupied Reach. As per protocol, the Owl is destroyed via an internally-stored [[octanitrocubane]] charge to cover their tracks.

Meanwhile, [[Castor]], a [[Jiralhanae]] [[Dokab]] of the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], investigates the charred remains of the insertion craft, considering why the [[human]]s might have come to Reach. He and [[Inslaan 'Gadogai]], a [[Sangheili]] [[blademaster]] serving the Banished, consider the possibility that it may be for the same reason that the Banished and their newly acquired [[Covenant remnants|factions]]—the Keepers of the One Freedom, the [[Legion of the Corpse-Moon]], and the [[Clan of the Ravaged Tusks|Ravaged Tusks]]—are on the planet. War Chief [[Escharum]] had sent forces to the glassed world to search for a fabled [[Portal under the Mountain|portal]] to the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. Atriox had contacted him, ordering the portal to be found and opened for him to return to the [[Milky Way|galaxy]]. As such, Castor orders his forces to follow the humans in hopes that they will lead the way to the portal.

Castor meets with [[Deukalion]], leader of the Legion of the Corse-Moon, and [[Ballas]], leader of the Ravaged Tusks. He convinces them that the humans must also be looking for the same portal that they are and that their two factions should assist the Keepers in a plan to follow the humans to their prize.

Descending thousands of meters into the planet, Blue Team realizes that the Banished is not after CASTLE Base at all, but something beneath it. John remembers the Forerunner [[Menachite portal complex|complex]] that they had visited beneath the base during the Fall of Reach. After a tense vertical skirmish, the Spartans secure the entrance of CASTLE Base and the bottom of the shaft beyond. John and Kelly enter the ruins of the base and search for Dr. Halsey's laboratory while Fred scouts the path the Banished had taken deeper into the mountain. Kelly enters the lab to be confronted by a surviving subroutine of the [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Kalmiya]]. She provides the correct code of "''Whateverittakes''" and the subroutine allows her access to the assets: three [[cryobins]] and a lockbox emblazoned with the symbol of [[SWORD Base]]. Fred stealthily creeps down the passage to be confronted by none other than [[ONI]] operative [[Veta Lopis]], who gives him a message to relay to the UNSC: Atriox has returned to the galaxy. Veta and her team of [[SPARTAN-III program|Spartan-III]] [[Ferret]]s—consisting of [[Ash-G099]], [[Olivia-G291]], and [[Mark-G313]]—had infiltrated the Keepers of the One Freedom, posing as members of the [[Covenant religion|faithful]]. She disappears into the darkness and Fred regroups with Blue Team.

Blue Team and most UNSC forces still on the planet return to the UNSC ''Infinity'' to escape the system. The Spartans deliver the assets to Dr. Halsey, who plans to use them to give humanity a much-needed edge during the Created Crisis. Just as the ''Infinity'' prepares to enter [[slipspace]], sensors reveal the imminent arrival of one of Cortana's [[Guardian Custode|Guardians]], alerted by the increasingly intense conflict ranging on the planet. The ''Infinity'' escapes, but Reach will fall once more, this time under Cortana's iron fist.

*[[Mongoose (fiction)|Mongoose]]

**[[M274R Mongoose]]

**{{UNSCShip|Special Delivery}} {{1st}}

*[[Pelican]]

;Covenant/Banished

*[[Banshee]]

*[[Chopper]]

*[[Covenant starship]]

**[[Covenant carrier]]

***[[Intrusion corvette]]

**[[Covenant destroyer]]

**[[Supercarrier#Covenant Supercarriers|Covenant supercarrier]] {{Mo}}

*''[[Great Light]]'' {{1st}}

*[[Ghost]]

*[[Karve]] {{1st}}

*[[Lich]]

*[[Phantom]]

*[[Reaver]]

*[[Seraph]]

*[[Shadow]]

*[[Spirit]]

*[[Wraith]]

;Forerunner

**M1075 ASW/AC 35mm

**M9109 ASW/AC 50mm  {{Mo}}

*[[Octanitrocubane]]

*[[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]  {{Mo}}

*[[Particle beam rifle]]

*[[Plasma Pistol]]

*[[Type-1 energy sword]]

**''[[Black Death]]'' {{1st}}

*[[Type-52 Mauler]]